Wa-Po Historians Declare How the Sesquicentennial “Should” Be Observed

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There’s an interesting series of opinion pieces over at the Washington Post’s House Divided site in which historians of various stripes expound on how they feel the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War should be observed. I’m linking here to this article by Mike Musick, who has been a friend to Bull Runnings. Links to the thoughts of other contributors can be found at the bottom of each article (I’d post each link, but it’s late and I’m tired). I’m making my way through them and am finding a mixed bag, both in variety and quality. One writer made the unusual declaration that any reenactments “must” include both black and white soldiers, while stressing that the “true histories” also “must” be presented. Hmm…I’m trying to imagine how a First Bull Run reenactment could pull those two things off.

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Susan Evelyn Cole McDowell(17:49:08) :

I wish you luck with this Harry. All the research I have looked at tends to be very contradictory. I read books on Irvin McDowell which say he was forced to take the Command of the Pacific because of his unpopularity. Other biographers say Irvin McDowell begged for the Command of the Pacific. Which is true?

I loved the CNN piece on the Fire Zouvares. My second husband William Francis Cole is a retired Phoenix firefighter. Our marriage lasted a whole nine months. Bill was the only surviving firefighter pulled out of a building that collapsed after a bad fire and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He can not function because of the trauma he suffered from and we divorced about twenty years ago.

I wondered if the New York 11th was paralyzed by a similar disorder. One only has to look at the rapid demise by fire during 9/11 to understand that fire is a fierce and destructive force, second only to flooding. No one but a fireman would unerstand just how rapidly fire can destroy.

There has been very little research into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and there is not much help for anyone who suffers from it. Most medical research focuses on the big three: cancer, heart attacks, and stokes.

Dulce bellum inexpertis

“I am sending you these little incidents as I hear them well authenticated. They form, to the friends of the parties, part of the history of the glorious 21st. More anon.”

About

Hello! I’m Harry Smeltzer and welcome to Bull Runnings, where you'll find my digital history project on the First Battle of Bull Run which is organized under the Bull Run Resources section. I'll also post my thoughts on the processes behind the project and commentary on the campaign, but pretty much all things Civil War are fair game. You'll only find musings on my “real job” or my personal life when they relate to this project. My mother always told me "never discuss politics or religion in mixed company”, and that's sound advice where current events are concerned.

The Project

This site is more than a blog. Bull Runnings also hosts digitized material pertaining to First Bull Run. In the Bull Run Resources link in the masthead and also listed below are links to Orders of Battle, After Action Reports, Official Correspondence, Biographical Sketches, Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Newspaper Accounts and much, much more. Take some time to surf through the material. This is a work in process with no end in sight, so check back often!